Association Between Psychiatric Symptoms and Severity of Alcohol Dependence in a Sample of Brazilian Men

Abstract

The objective of this study was to verify the association between psychiatric symptoms and severity of alcohol dependence in male patients who sought treatment in two Brazilian treatment sites. A cross-sectional study was designed with 36 cases stratified into two groups according to the severity of alcohol dependence ascertained by the Short Form Alcohol Dependence Data scale; participants also answered the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the Symptom Check List 90. The mean age of the sample was 46 years, and 63.9% fulfilled criteria for severe alcohol dependence. Obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and paranoid symptoms were the most common clinical findings in the sample. Patients with severe dependence showed higher scores of psychiatric symptoms compared with patients with mild/moderate dependence across all analyses (p < .05). These data suggest an association between severity of alcohol dependence and psychiatric symptoms, pointing at the relevance of early detection of this clinical situation.